US Secretary of Defense James Mattis is on his first visit to China. However, it is naive to expect any dramatic outcome on bilateral ties from his visit. In Chinese customs, the guest will usually bring along some "presents" during his visit to somebody’s home. Of course, I am not referring to "solid" expensive gifts such as money or gold bars, but some friendly gestures such as declaring suspension of arm sales to Taiwan or some good news on ZTE.

On the contrary, the US has taken 3 unfriendly actions against China during his visit. Such actions can be regarded as Trump's negotiation tactics, just like a big bully posing and flexing his muscles before giving his victim more wallops.

1. Whether intentionally or not, Trump seems to be thumbing his nose at China by sending his defence chief during Exercise RIMPAC from June 27 to August 2, 2018 after disinviting China from the exercise.

2. The nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan, a US aircraft carrier, visited the Philippines on Tuesday (June 26), the third such call in four months, as its commander cited America's "enduring presence" in a region where China's military aims have raised tensions. It docked in Manila after sailing through the disputed South China Sea as part of a mission intended to reassure Washington's allies in the area.

3. The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill on Tuesday to tighten foreign investment rules, spurred by bipartisan concerns about Chinese bids to acquire sophisticated US technology. The bill, passed 400-2, is one of a series of measures being considered by the Trump administration and Congress to address the so-called national security concerns as well as what they see as China’s unfair trade and intellectual property practices.

Other measures include tariffs on goods ranging from aluminum to automobiles, and efforts to prevent the expansion in the US of Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp.

Despite the claim that the bill is aimed at tightening "foreign investment" rules, it is obvious that the US is cracking its whip hard at Chinese investments. Why all the trouble in changing the name of the target from "Chinese investments" to "foreign investments"? It won't be difficult to see that the US is afraid of retaliation by China, and is trying hard to avoid it.

Conclusion: Hence, don't expect any good will come out from Mattis' visit to China. I can use two analogies to describe the purpose of his visit. Using the first analogy, it is just like a cook testing whether the food is ready for the table by poking it with a chopstick or scooping it out with a spoon.

Using a second analogy, it is just like a caregiver opening a door to find out whether the naughty boy locked inside the room as punishment has become well-behaved.

In short, it is an "exploratory visit" aimed at finding out whether China is ready to give in to US demands, economically or militarily.

Well what do you expect? China is making a lot of the same mistakes the USSR made. They are seeing this as primarily a military-nationalist conflict. They are not seeing it primarily as a class struggle.

There is little effort made to educate the world proletariat on scientific socialism. Most never even heard of Marx's Centralization Hypothesis, or the mechanism of how Constant Capital displaces Variable.

It doesn't make any sense - announcing the scientific truth of Marxism, the keystone of which is the Centralization Hypothesis can help give China the intellectual and moral high ground. This is not a matter of nationalist conflict, it is a matter of human rights, freedom, and justice, as machinery and technology make people like us, workers, who rely on their labor increasingly irrelevant in the economy. These are ideas that go back the very founding ideas of the United States and the Enlightenment, from which the moral aspect of Marxism is itself derived.

It returns the debate to the very notions of "Life, Liberty and Property" - the essential rights of mankind according to John Locke, which Jefferson rephrased into the more expansive "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" as he thought people have a fundamental right not just to sufficient property to guarantee freedom and security, but on top of that, the right to use such to engage in pursuits of happiness as well (most Americans misunderstand this to mean something less inclusive, aka citizens have no right to property, which Jefferson meant the exact opposite of. )

These ideas are contained in our very Constitution and Declaration of Independence. The current theocratic-bourgeoisie inclined ideology which dominates much of the US is a betrayel of these fundamental notions, activated as paranioia during the Cold War, for sake of a new de facto aristocratic-like class.

I appreciate this original opinion of yours which is well-laid.
Mattis is known for his hawkish attitude, but what he says or acts hinges on his pay master Trump who is the spokeman for the American super rich.

Everyone knows the USA is unable to strike China militarily nowadays; on the other hand, Trump is unlikely to win his second presidential campaign, therefore the role of Mattis is very limitted in the capacity of US defence chief. At best, he just drills more than a couple of provocative military exercises.

In non-warring period, what the politicians can do are to exchange some paws, which are metaphors of interests. Let's see what he would like to exchange with China currently.

Mattis this paw will be discard within two years. He doesn't have time to implement his military strategy at all.

Think about it, Trump scraps Obama's works; and after the two years, the new White House Occupant will scrap Trump's too.

The analogue of mine is Obama commanded to march to the east, and when he retired the new commander Trump says march to the West. Thus, their soldiers always mark time.

Why? Because there are not consistency of their policies from the POTUS.